Tigerheart's Shadow/Chapter 11
Chapter description :Tigerheart presses himself against the ground as he sees the Thundersnake passes by, and notes that the waiting Twolegs didn't even flinch as it stops by the ledge where they were waiting. Ajax hisses to Tigerheart that if he hurries, he can get inside, while Tigerheart simply stares at the kittypet in horror. Ajax nudges him towards the ledge, and Tigerheart says he won't get into the belly of a Thundersnake. Ajax argues that Twolegs do it all the time. Tigerheart points that Twolegs are crazy. Fuzzball agrees with the deputy, and Ajax reminds them that he had been inside one, and it let him out afterwards. :Tigerheart asks what it was like inside, and Ajax ponders for a moment, before answering that it was loud, smelly, and full of Twolegs, and adds that his Twoleg carried him inside a cage. He admits it wasn't the best day of his life, but he survived, and asks how Tigerheart plans to even get there. Tigerheart says he'll walk, and Ajax snorts that it'll take forever. The Thundersnake then hoots, and Ajax flicks his tail, and tells Tigerheart to hurry. Tigerheart replies good, and feels relief that it began to move away. Ajax argues that it's too far to walk. Tigerheart replies that he can walk anywhere, and informs the two kittypets that his Clan walked over a mountain range to a new home. Ajax simply shrugs, and states that he doesn't know who his Clan is, but they sound as crazy as Twolegs. Fuzzball says they sound awesome, and asks if they were his family. Tigerheart replies that some of them were, and a pang of loss jabs at him as he thinks of Rowanstar and Tawnypelt. :Tigerheart meows that he'll follow the Silverpath, and says that it'll take longer, but that he trusts his own paws more then a Thundersnake. Ajax shrugs, and says "If that's what you want". The black and white tom looks at the sky, and asks when he'll leave. Fuzzball offers for Tigerheart to stay with his Twolegs, and mews that they always feed strays. He twitches his tail, and says that he always has to share his food. Tigerheart pointedly says that warriors can feed themselves, and scans the scrubland, and turns back to Fuzzball, and thanks him for the offer. Fuzzball asks how he would, since there weren't any food dishes around. Tigerheart replies "Who needs food dishes?" and whisks around, claiming they can hunt. Ajax, unconvinced, repeats the question. Fuzzball however, paces around excitedly, and claims he's chased birds in his garden and tracked a mouse once. Tigerheart dips his head to the kittypet, and says he will today. :Ajax mutters that it sounds interesting, and mews that he'd like to stretch his legs before he goes home. Tigerheart leaps over the Silverpath, careful not to touch it. Tigerheart leads the two kittypets into the forest, and feels his nose twitch excitedly as the scent of prey grows stronger. Ajax and Fuzzball come up behind him, and Fuzzball loudly asks if they were tracking something, and Tigerheart glares at the kittypet, and tells him to hush. Fuzzball looks apologetic and follows the deputy quietly for a few moments before yowling that he scents something. Tigerheart flattens his ears in frustration, and turns to Fuzzball. The ShadowClan tom tells him that they were there to hunt, not talk. Tigerheart nods to a side trail, and asks Fuzzball to down there until he can't see him anymore, and then to sit and listen for Badgers. Fuzzball looks at him, puzzled, and states that there weren't any Badgers around. Tigerheart then says to look out for Foxes or Dogs, and thinks to himself anything to keep Fuzzball out of his way. :The deputy notices that Ajax has disappeared, and asks Fuzzball where he went. Fuzzball cheerfully says that he doesn't know, but says that he might have gotten distracted, since there were lots of good scents around. Fuzzball looks towards the trail where Tigerheart suggested he go, and asks if that was where he wanted him to do. As he speaks, Tigerheart hears the thump of a rabbit's paws. He stiffens, scanning the bushes for movement. Fuzzball raises his front paws off that ground, and peers over the top of the bushes, and exclaims that he sees a rabbit, and dashes towards it. Ajax suddenly ambles along the trail behind him, calmly asking if they had caught anything yet. Tigerheart digs his claws into the ground in frustration, and wonders why he brought the two kittypets along, considering all the noise they were making, he would never catch anything. He swallows back irritation, and Fuzzball's yowl splits the air, yowling to Tigerheart that the rabbit was coming towards him. Tigerheart turns in surprise as he sees brown fur flash by him, and he pelts after it, and sees that although the rabbit was plump, it was fast. Tigerheart dives after it, and manages to kill it, with the rabbit's eyes in sheer horror as he slams his paws into it's shoulders and delivers the killing bite. :Paws pound toward him, and Fuzzball excitedly mews that he got it, and announces proudly that he flushed it out. Tigerheart looks at him, wipes the blood from his own nose, and agrees that he did. He thinks to himself that Fuzzball was a mouse-brain, but good hearted. And notes that they at least caught something. He picks up the rabbit and carries it towards an empty stretch of earth on the hillside, and lays it down, basking in the sun. Ajax and Fuzzball trot behind him, and Ajax, wrinkling his nose, asks what they do now. Tigerheart states that they eat it, and takes a mouthful of rabbit, and pushes it towards Fuzzball, and tells him to try some. :Fuzzball sniffs the rabbit gingerly, and then takes a small mouthful. He chews, and with his mouth full, he mews that it was all fur, sounding disappointed. Tigerheart grabs one of the rabbit's hind legs and gives it to Fuzzball, and tells him to try it, as there was more meat there. Fuzzball stares at it, and then takes a bite, and swallows enthusiastically, and asks if that was all they ate. Tigerheart says that they eat mice or voles or birds, and the ginger tom asks if they all tasted the same. Tigerheart says no, and wonders how any cat could think all prey tasted the same. Ajax explains that he'll wait until he gets home, and notes that it was a bit bloody. Tigerheart blinks at him, and says of course it was bloody. He wonders why they don't seem appeased by the prey, but realizes that they seem happy, and he was happy there, laying in the sunshine. He gulps down his meal, and sees the two kittypets staring at him in awed silence, as if they were watching a squirrel chew it's own leg. :The deputy gets up, and thanks the two. Ajax looks towards the Silverpath, and asks if he was really going to walk. Tigerheart fluffs out his fur and confirms he is. He thinks to himself that Dovewing is braver than he is, and he needs to find her, as the kits she is carrying are his kits too. He tells Ajax and Fuzzball that he has to go. Fuzzball calls after him, and asks that when he comes back, he take him to meet his Clan. Tigerheart glances back at him, affection swelling in his chest, and calls him a dumb kittypet in his mind. He imagines the look on his clanmates' faces if he walked in with Fuzzball. He wonders if he'll ever see ShadowClan or his clanmates again. Tigerheart reaches the Silverpath, and sees the Thundersnake disappear into a hillside. Seeing no other option, he walks after it. After a while, he hears a rumble, and sees a Thundersnake heading straight towards him. He squeezes himself against the side of the tunnel and presses down, and feels the breeze harden as the Thundersnake blares past him, and he feels the Thundersnake's single eye sting his gaze, and he feels as if his ears would burst as it roars past him. He braces himself for it to strike, and feels it tear past him like a hurricane. Then, it was gone, and Tigerheart wonders if he's been deafened. He lies still until he feels his breathing resume as normal and stop trembling. He realizes that he survived, and wonders if what he felt was what a clan leader felt when they were losing a life. He hurries on, and scents the ground, and feels fluff tickle his nose, and recognizes the scent as Dovewing. He feels a burst of joy as he realizes that his mate had gone this way. Tigerheart thinks to himself that he was on the right trail, and Dovewing had to be waiting for him at the end. Characters Major }} Minor *Fuzzball }} Mentioned *Rowanstar *Tawnypelt }} Notes and references Category:Tigerheart's Shadow Category:Chapter subpages Category:Super Edition arc